Think you need a big staff and budget to pull off big projects? Think again.

With the right partners, land trusts with smart, creative leadership, deep and trusting local roots, and a lot of passion can really punch above their weight in the water quality world. More than 20 years ago, Cecil Land Trust punched above its weight in successfully protecting Garrett Island, the sentinel of the Susquehanna Valley. More recently, leveraging the right relationships in the right places, Cecil Land Trust found the right partners and funding to help restore streams draining thousands of acres of farm and forest land in Little Elk and North East Creeks in Cecil County.…all while still hiring its first ED.

What’s Good for the Goose is Good for the…Water (Piedmont Environmental Council)

Ever wonder how we’re going to truly restore clean water? One land trust has an answer: Relentless. Incrementalism. That is, the simple principle of stick-to-it-ive-ness. (Ok, admit it: it’s sexier than it seems at first). Learn how a sustained effort in Virginia’s Goose Creek watershed, evolved strategically and responsively over years, has become increasingly savvy about protecting and restoring water—and how it has achieved a staggering amount of success, with more on the horizon.

Registration is free, but required. For questions or more information, contact Jennifer Miller Herzog, jmillerherzog@lta.org.

This webinar series is hosted by Choose Clean Water Coalition and the Chesapeake Bay Land and Water Initiative, a partnership of the Chesapeake Bay Funders Network and the Land Trust Alliance.

Thursday, May 3:

Bill Kilby – Board President, Cecil Land Trust

A life-long dairy farmer, Bill Kilby has been involved for more than 20 years in land and water conservation with Cecil Land Trust and the Cecil Conservation Partnership. In recent years, Kilby Farms has formed a partnership with a neighboring private school to promote land and water conservation and farm-to-table food use, and STEM/outdoor/environmental educational activities. In 2017, Bill’s leadership and innovation, and commitment to community partnerships and education garnered him the fifteenth annual Aileen Hughes Award for conservation excellence—an award given by Maryland Environmental Trust to recognize exceptional contributions of leaders in the Maryland land trust community.

Mike Kane – Director of Conservation, Piedmont Environmental Council

Mike became Conservation Director of PEC in 2015 after 10 years of service as PEC’s Land Conservation Representative for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier counties. Mike has been intimately involved in conservation work in the Goose Creek watershed since 2005, having worked with Goose Creek landowners to facilitate numerous easements, as well as development and implementation of a land restoration plan in the watershed that includes stream exclusion fencing and rotational grazing at a working livestock farm. Mike has more than 15 years of experience working with landowners, local jurisdictions, State and Federal agencies, and other allied organizations to foster the conservation of rural lands and promote vibrant rural economies in the Mid-Atlantic region. Mike's professional experience includes working as the Program Manager of the Loudoun County Purchase of Development Rights Program (2001-2004), and the Coordinator of the Bucks County (PA) Open Space Program (1997-2000).